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This U.S. Air Force film from the late 1970s or early 1980s highlights the KC10A tanker development program. The McDonnell Douglas KC10 Extender is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the threeengined DC10 airliner, the KC10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo Aircraft Program. It incorporates militaryspecific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC135 Stratotanker following experiences in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The KC10 was the second McDonnell Douglas transport aircraft to be selected by the Air Force following the C9. A total of 60 KC10s were produced for the USAF. The Royal Netherlands Air Force operates two similar tankers designated KDC10 that were converted from DC10s.

in 1975, under the Advanced Tanker Cargo Aircraft Program, four aircraft were evaluated—the Lockheed C5, the Boeing 747, the McDonnell Douglas DC10, and the Lockheed L1011. The only serious contenders were Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. On 19 December 1977, McDonnell Douglas's DC10 was chosen. The primary reason of this choice was the KC10's ability to operate from shorter runways. Initially, a batch of 12 aircraft was ordered, but this was later increased to 60.

The KC10 Extender first flew on 12 July 1980, but it was not until October the same year that the first aerial refuel sortie was performed. The design for the KC10 involved modifications from the DC1030CF design. Unnecessary airline features were replaced by an improved cargohandling system and military avionics. Meanwhile, the KC10 retains 88% commonality with its commercial counterparts, giving it greater access to the worldwide commercial support system. Other changes from the DC1030CF include the removal of most windows and lower cargo doors. Early aircraft featured a distinctive light gray, white and blue paint scheme, but a graygreen camouflage scheme was used on later tankers. The paint scheme was switched to a medium gray color by the late 1990s.

A jet aircraft refuels from a gray threeengine tanker via a long boom located under the tanker's aft fuselage.
The KC10's mixed refueling system of hoseanddrogue and flyingboom allow it to refuel the aircraft of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and allied forces.[6]
The most notable changes were the addition of the McDonnell Douglas Advanced Aerial Refueling Boom (AARB) and additional fuel tanks located in the baggage compartments below the main deck. The extra tanks increase the KC10's fuel capacity to 356,000 lb (161,478 kg), nearly doubling the KC135's capacity.[6] The KC10 has both a centerline refueling boom—unique in that it sports a control surface system at its aft end that differs from the Vtail design used on previous tankers—and a drogueandhose system on the starboard side of the rear fuselage. The KC10 boom operator is located in the rear of the aircraft with a wide window for monitoring refueling. The operator controls refueling operations through a digital flyby wire system.

The KC10 plays a key role in the mobilization of US military assets, taking part in overseas operations far from home. These aircraft performed airlift and aerial refueling during the 1986 bombing of Libya (Operation Eldorado Canyon), the 1990–91 Gulf War with Iraq (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force), War in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and Iraq War (Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn). The KC10 is expected to serve until 2043.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com